Secret Saturnalia 2022

It is that time of year again... Secret Saturnalia! I agreed to host in alternating years with @John Anthony and so it is my honor to pick up the mantle again this year. As most of you know I am also hosting another Secret Saturnalia over on NF. Anyone is free to participate here, there or both as you wish. I think most of you know the drill by now but see below just in case.

Some Rules and Guidelines and Instructions and Such

• Send me a private message with your name and address
• After a number of people have sent PMs I will begin pairing up and I will respond to your message with the name and address of the person you will be sending a gift to.
• The pairings will be random and anonymous.
• The cutoff date for entry will be Dec. 2, 2022.
• Saturnalia officially starts on Dec. 17 so try to get your gift out in a timely manner.
• If you are willing to ship internationally please let me know in your PM.
• Please restrict yourself to gifting ancient and medieval coins. The US forum usually has a SS of their own if you are interested in that.
• Please post a photo of your gift to this thread after you have opened it.
• To enter you must have at least 100 posts on the forum.
• Gifts in the past have typically been in the $20 - $50 range.

IO SATURNALIA!

 

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Thanks to all who have messaged me so far. I plan to do the first round of pairings later this evening so there is still some time to join for the first round.

Io Saturnalia!!

 

I received my Secret Saturnalia package in the mail today!!! Thank you!!! I'll open it on Saturnalia!
What fun!!!

 

Anyone who wishes to participate still has until Friday to do so. I encourage you to join if you would like to.

Io Saturnalia.

 

I'm getting excited. Saturnalia is less than 10 days. Really!!!

 

This is my first year on the ancient side... I am excited

 

Four days!!!!

 

I have received my Saturnalia gift and will share it when I open it.

I also received another gift from a different Secret Saturnalia Person that had gifted me a super nice coin last year (from the same Country and area) they were so kind and generous last year and gifted me a coin that was so awesome I just could not believe that anyone would do that for me, it was by far my best gift I have had in years. It truly made me feel like when I was a young kid when I would get so excited about Christmas, never ever would I have imagined to receive such a wonderful gift and to top it off they did not even participate in the exchanging of gifts and only wanted to give and now again this year ! I am speechless.

Here is a picture of the one gifted me last year.



Constantine II, 321-324 AD
AE Siscia.
Obv: CONSTANTINVS IVN NOB C,
laureate head right.
Rev: CAESARVM NOSTRORVM
around VOT (dot) V within wreath.

 

Some people are just generous by nature. It's good to see generosity is not yet dead.

 

I got an envelope in the mail today. I feel like Ralphie in A Christmas Story when he gets his decoder ring. But I'm forcing myself to wait till the 17th.

 

It's here!!! Saturnalia starts today!! I received this lovely antoninianus of Gordian III from my Secret Saturn!


Gordian III, 238-244 CE.
Roman AR antoninianus, 4.85 g, 23.2 mm, 6 h.
Rome, 1st officina, 1st emission, June-December, 238.
Obv: IMP CAES M ANT GORDIANVS AVG, radiate, draped and cuirassed bust, right.
Rev: FIDES MILITVM, Fides standing left, holding signum and scepter.
Refs: RIC 1; Cohen 86; RCV 8609; Hunter 6.

THANK YOU, SECRET SANTA!!!

 

Nice Gordian. Your Secret Saturn was generous.

 

Indeed! Well-centered and with a boardwalk flan, too!

 

Thanks to my Secret Saturn. What a wonderful addition to my collection. I have a few coins struck under Commodus, but none near as nice as this. Forgive my quick image, but I wanted to post it this morning.

Commodus Denarius
M COMM ANT P FEL AVG BRIT, laureate head right
P M TR P XIII IMP VIII COS V P P, Salus seated left feeding serpent from a patera
Rome, 187-88
3.08g, 18mm
RSC 544.
HJB Tag

Thank you again. I hope my SS enjoys what I sent as much as I am enjoying this coin.

 

Posted just now
I opened up my Secret Saturnalia gift today.

I am happy to say it is right inline with my collecting interest. I can also say I can add this coin to my collection and I did not have it but has been on my radar. I lived and metal detected in Spain for almost 5 years and that is the reason of my interest in Iberian and Roman coins. On a later deployment to Spain for 9 months I was able to have my Wife come over and went on vacation with Her for 10 awesome days visiting everywhere. One of the places I went to was Carmona and we stayed in a medieval castle there and went and toured the Roman ruins of Carmona and this coin if from that very exact place. Thank you for the gift Secret Saturn !

AE24 Spain Carmo, present day Carmona

2nd-1st century BC

Obverse beardless male head right

Reverse Carmo between two lines, grain ear above and below

23.36mm, 8.93 grams

 

Here is another gift from a Secret Saturn that has gifted me a coin two years in a row without them receiving anything back in return. I want to let them know that they really have put back the excitement of the holidays that I used to love so much as a kid growing up, I had missed that excitement for many many years and the last two have been as if I was that same kid with all that excitement again. I am so grateful for your generosity and I really do not know how to express how thankful I am for me being the lucky one, I am at a loss for words all I know to say is THANK YOU !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Probus 276-282 AD
Silvered Antoninianus
Obverse radiate, draped,and cuirassed bust right.
Reverse Felicitas standing left holding cornucopia and caduceus
3.87 grams Ticinum mint AD 276, RIC 359

 

My coins came yesterday. I have not had time to attribute them yet. This was my first year and I am still learning.

Thanks Secret Saturn!

 

Diocletian and Constans. Tough to tell the mints from here though

 

Happy Saturnalia to all and I enjoyed giving my gift.
My gift was also cheerful, one BCD coin, one Kushan and a Hermaois posthumous, as well as local chocolates from the giver.

 

Did I miss the thread where people showed their gifts? Or were there very few participants?